The Sentinels You say...

Though Osprey had promised that regardless of the answer she would still be Dante's friend - while waiting for his reply, she realized that in a case of a "no", things would still change. Taking the next step was a very serious deal and it was not something you could whisk away and forget later. In a way it would always stand between them invisible, but present in every conversation and interaction. 


She was relieved that Dante's "yes" was rooted in the same rational and sensible grounds as her offer. Professing an undying love or any kind of other complicated emotional stuff would have made the deal a lot harder for her. She did not want to hurt him by not being able to give more than she could offer. Maybe in time - where was friendship, there was a potential for love.

"It's usually the other way around," she smiled sincerely at him. "For the sake of my dignity and pride - don't tell anyone that I was the one to ask first," she joked playfully, and then her expression became serious again. "I think that... we need to set some foundations for this arrangement. One that would be important for me - let's be honest with each other about everything. Especially, when and if one of us feels that this is not working out. I think that it's always better to remain good friends rather than trying to build something that for whatever reason can't last."